Florida Atlantic University is welcoming 40 National Merit Scholars this semester, with 19 of them returning and 21 of them attending FAU for the first time.

Florida Atlantic University is welcoming 40 National Merit Scholars this semester, with 19 of them returning and 21 of them attending FAU for the first time. The entire National Merit Scholars group total sets a record for the university, while the new member total is the second-highest ever in FAU’s history.

“We are elated to welcome our incoming, exceptionally talented National Merit Scholars as they join their peers at Florida Atlantic University,” said Mary Ann Gosser Esquilín, Ph.D., assistant dean of the FAU Honors and Scholars Program. “We look forward to shining a spotlight on their successes as they pursue research opportunities and continue to excel in their chosen academic fields.”

The record-setting class also has local ties. Of the 40 National Merit Scholars, 25 hail from the state of Florida; with five FAU High School alumni part of the new group of 21.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition among high school students for recognition and college undergraduate scholarships that began in 1955. The program is conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance.

United States high school students enter the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which serves as an initial screen of more than 1.3 million entrants each year, and by meeting published program entry and participation requirements.

-FAU-